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– These are not amateur players, says former national team captain Kjetil Rekdal, who still chooses six players that Norway will miss.
On Wednesday, 18 Norwegian footballers will have a unique opportunity to play with the hearts of Norwegian football when the “emergency national team”, led by U21 team manager Leif Gunnar Smerud, takes on Austria in the League of Nations.
The squad reunites after the Norwegian authorities set foot in motion so that the original squad could travel to Bucharest and Vienna, because the team got revenge in quarantine after Omar Elabdellaoui’s positive corona test.
– They are not amateur players
However, the bookmakers leave little chance for the Smerud boys. On Monday morning, Betsafe offered 26 times as much money for a Norway win against Austria.
– Too tall! believes that the former captain of the national team Kjetil Rekdal.
– They are not amateur players, they are professionals. There are a good couple of players there, but it’s clear that you are missing out on the biggest stars that could make a difference here. It’s not a bad team. Far from. It is possible to achieve something with that team there, Rekdal tells Nettavisen.
Since then, Betsafe has cut the odds to 17 in a Norwegian win.
– An underdog can grow
Rekdal believes Norway will miss Rune Jarstein, Martin Ødegaard, Alexander Sørloth, Sander Berge, Joshua King and Erling Braut Haaland. However, he believes that Norway has more than a ten percent chance of winning the match.
– Nor is it the strongest Austrian team we know. In my opinion, there is hope that Norway can win that match. He wonders a bit what kind of tactic they choose and what the entry into the game will be like. It is possible to grow during a soccer game. When a structure is established, the team gets to work from the very first kick at the ball and doesn’t finish below 0-1 early, Rekdal says.
– If you manage to create some opportunities and keep up, then it’s strange how a loser can grow. It will be like a cup match, or top to bottom in the Eliteserien, believes the former national team player.
Smerud: – I’m not sure of eleven places.
However, there is no doubt that it is a formidable task Leif Gunnar Smerud and company. versus. When asked by Nettavisen about how many places in the starting eleven he was unsure, during a press conference on Monday, Smerud replied “eleven” with a malicious smile.
– Of course we have our thoughts on this. I know some of the players quite well, so I have some things that I have some ideas about, but I don’t want to get into them now. We are used to working with short deadlines when it comes to national teams. The most important thing they have presented to me so far is that they are positive. I know they are not going to queue, they want to do well, Smerud told Nettavisen.
At the press conference, the team’s substitute coach was also asked whether we will see a Lagerbäck team or a Smerud team against Austria.
– It remains to be seen. It will be a combination, I hope. If you are a Lagerbäck team, you are well organized and very solid and stable. We hope to be. If you, in a U21 or Smerud team, add a little spice on top, we’ll see if we can make it happen.
The international match between Austria and Norway starts at 8:45 p.m. in Vienna on Wednesday.
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